


Two Cards, One Fool

by Mchogone



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Akihiko is an old fighter man, Canon Divergence, Cleavers, Guns, I'm trying, Minako is a badass with a cleaver, Misunderstandings, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, contrary to popular belief im surprisingly better at writing everyday life than fight scenes, does the & mean friendship, how did i forget that tag, i don't know how to tag, minako and minato are twins, minako finna fight, there's 2 igors for characters for persona hm
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-08-26 05:32:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16675465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mchogone/pseuds/Mchogone
Summary: Minako and Minato, twins who only had each other. They'd stick to each other forever.Even if Death tried to tear them apart.(Updates weekly)





	1. The Fool and The Tower

**Author's Note:**

> owoah it's another series and i actually plan on finishing it hmm.
> 
> I don't got much to say other that the tags will be updated as we go along (as well as ships). And that I have no beta so this is probably going to be hard to read. alsothesummaryisshitbutireallycouldn'tsumthisbitchupanyotherway
> 
> Enjoy!

The subway wasn't as crowded as he'd expect. It was approaching midnight, but it seemed like the car was almost abandoned. There was him, Minako, a couple of drunks, and a mother with her sleeping toddler. The train was silent for everybody else, but the soft music in his ears relaxed his nerves. Wasn't Minako talking about something happening at night? He didn't really listen, but it seemed the rambling had caused her to fall asleep, her head lolling to the side, on top of their combined luggage.

 

It had been a long trip, moving to Tatsumi Port Island in a moment's notice. They'd gotten asked to transfer to a school there, the letters currently resting in his hands, rolled up. At least he heard their dorm wasn't a big one, apparently having only 3 or 4 people staying there. He knows his sister wouldn't mind with a big dorm, but he surely would. Maybe that's why they were going there.

 

Minako did a lot for him. They were almost like polar opposites, she was extroverted and creative while he preferred being alone. People are often surprised when she says they're twins, with a smile on her face. It's contagious most of the time. She had so much energy that it surprised him, almost every night she would stay up till midnight and still be able to function in class. That was nearly impossible for him.

 

One night he had tried, much to her discomfort, but he'd fallen asleep right before 12. She catechized him that morning, while he was making breakfast. He'd never let her go near a kitchen,  _ especially _ after what happened one day.

 

The train started to lull to a stop. Minato took out his headphones just in time to hear a tune go over the intercoms.

 

" _ Now arriving, Iwatodai Station. Iwatodai Station. _ "

 

He gently nudged Minako, laying his headphones around his neck, not bothering to turn the music off. She woke up with a start, blinking her eyes rapidly as she looked around confused. "We're already there? It must be late…" She checked her phone, before grabbing her two bags. Minato grabbed his own, a direct contrast to her own. She decorated hers with cute stickers, fitting with the pink of it. His own bag had nothing and was a dull blue.

 

They were  _ so _ different.

 

"It's almost 12." Minako sighed as they existed the train, the toddler crying in the background. She shivered a bit, patting her pockets for their map. "Aren't you tired, Mit?" She stopped to look up at Minato, her nickname for him making her sound more mocking.

 

He gently pushed her shoulder in annoyance as she started to laugh. She covered her mouth, pulling out the map in her pocket in one fell swoop. "Alright, let's see where we need to go."

 

The cold subway's rings call out. " _ The time is now 12 AM. The time… _ "

 

The lights go out. The jingle cut off suddenly, and the few people around them suddenly disappeared. In there place was coffins, the entire station turned a dull green. The moon from the outside casted the place in an unearthly glow of yellow. He could feel himself getting sleepier, his legs couldn't hold him up as he fell to the ground.

 

Minako tried to catch him, but he couldn't hear her scream as he slowly lost consciousness.

  
  
  
  


Minato woke up from the apparent nightmare. He was already starting to lose memory of it, something about a train station?

 

He sat up quickly from the bed, looking around. He was in a dorm room of some sorts, sunlight streaming in from the windows. Probably his own, he'd have to guess. His luggage was sitting next to the door, a note taped to the front of it. Looking down, it seemed he was in his clothes from last night, his shoes left next to his bed. Getting out of bed, he raised a hand to his forehead. He felt a headache coming on as he stumbled over to his luggage. He could handle a simple headache.

 

" _ You wouldn't wake up this morning, and you almost had a fever. Don't worry, I'll tell the teachers! - Minako _ "

 

Minato crumbled up the note, tossing it into a trashcan next to the desk. There wasn't a point in trying to rush to school, one check of his phone confirmed it was early in the afternoon. He can't believe he missed a day, but that's just going to be that. But did he have a fever?

 

Minus the headache, he felt fine. His eyes drifted to the bottle of pills and key setting on the sink. The key must be his dorm room key, and the pills for his fever. That he was pretty sure he slept off. One glance in the mirror, however, and he was starting to believe the note.

 

His hair was going in all sorts of places, his clothes were messy, and his eyes looked like he hadn't been asleep for days. The headache was starting to become more fierce. All at once, he was beginning to get dizzy. He briefly noted that this was familiar, but not from where.

 

Steadying himself on the sink's edge, he looked over at his luggage. He should change out of his uniform. That was what he was wearing, right? Or maybe Minako changed him... he wouldn't put it past her, but a shiver ran up his spine all the while.

 

He decided against it, figuring he'll wake up in a few hours. He'd have to wash them then. But for now, his bed was calling him again. He couldn't even muster up the energy to take some of the pills, instead stumbling over to his bed, hitting the covers without the energy to properly put himself in.

 

~ ~ ~

 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

 

Minako blinked, yawning as she looked up. The train was moving at a slow pace, but it was different. The entire car was blue, the seats just happened to be a darker shade. It took her a moment to realize the man sitting across from her, a wooden desk with papers and a feather in an ink bottle. She cringed at how long his nose was, before realizing he was speaking.

 

"Do not worry, you are fast asleep in the real world. This is a place between mind and matter, dream and reality." The man's mouth hardly moved. Minako shivered, this man was  _ really _ freaking her out. So was this train - she was on route to Iwatodai with her brother! Not in a blue train! It felt too real to be just some dream, though.

 

"My name is Igor." The nose-man stated, matter-of-factly. "Although you do not have a contract at the moment, it does not mean that you can't make one now."

 

A piece of paper flew from the man's desk, landing in Minako's lap. She hadn't been able to really feel herself until then, only know. This entire thing was confusing her!

 

She subconsciously looked down at the paper, almost as if she didn't have a will of her own. The fine print was nothing more than scribbles to her, but she raised a pen (when did she get a pen? Had it always been in her hand?) and signed her name at the bottom.

 

The paper and pen flew back to Igor. "You are now our guest in the Velvet Room. I wish to explain more, but it seems our time for now is up. We will be seeing each other a lot in the near future."

 

Minako wanted to ask him what Igor meant by that, especially the "our" part, since the train was pretty much empty. But her vision started to dim around the edges, and no matter how hard she tried, her eyes closed.

  
  
  


Minako started to sway, something was poking her at the side. She jumped awake, looking around before calming down to see Minato. And other people. She had a suspicion about Igor already. "We're already there? It must be late." Minako begun, giving a little yawn. Her mind getting rid of Igor and her strange dream, she started to focus on the time. One check from her phone proved it, it was nearing 12.

 

Strange things happened at 12. The sky turned green, the moon turned yellow. Most of the entire world transformed into bloody coffins. Ever since they were little, they'd experienced this situation. Every night, she'd had been able to get Minato to sleep before the hour.

 

There was no explanation. She'd given up on trying to explain this a long time ago, instead just getting told off of her being grief-stricken. Dark beings would travel the towns they were in, screaming and growling. She'd seen what happened once, when someone who wasn't a coffin was caught. It was like a predator feasting on prey, like they hadn't eaten in months.

 

The cleaver in one of her bags was more of a comfort than anything.

 

Grabbing both of the bags, she started to exit with Minato. "It's almost 12." Minako mumbled, shivering from fear. She could easily say it was from the cold, however. Why'd they have to arrive in their uniforms again? She'd much rather be in something more warm. "Aren't you tired, Mit?" Minako smiled at her nickname for him, trying to find their map. He playfully shoved her, forcing her to burst out in laughter.

 

She covered her mouth, yanking out the map when she felt it, trying to catch her breathe. "Alright, let's see where we need to go." Minako wheezed out.

 

The desolate subway's rings call out. " _ The time is now 12 AM. The time… _ "

 

Minako stopped laughing instantly, going cold with fear. As she expected, the world started to change. The walls, the sky, the  _ blood _ . More importantly, Minato was here. Awake. And he was falling.

 

She caught him right before he hit the ground, but his eyes were closed. His breathing was easy. That's one fear checked off.

 

As she looked around, she could already hear it. The croaking, the grumbling, the  _ screaming _ . She needed her cleaver, she needed to get him out of there.

 

Gently setting him on the ground, she tore open one of her bags, shifting through the clothes to find a small black bag. Minako tore it open, not caring in the slightest, and took the cleaver by the handle. It was easy to lie, to say this was just for cooking in the dormitory when people asked.

 

She put the cleaver in her mouth, holding it by the handle, as she went back over to Minato. Picking him up, bridal style, she started to sprint through the streets. She could come back before the nightmares ended to grab their things, but right now it was a life-or-death situation. Thank any being that Minato was asleep.

 

Ever since they were little, she trained herself. It wasn't often that the monsters gotten close to her or Minato, but she had to be prepared. Carrying Minato wasn't a big deal, nor was the weapon in her mouth.

 

She kept an eye on things she passed - gaudy signs and coffeeshop doors. She sidestepped into an alleyway, hiding behind a few trash bins. She placed Minato down gently, pulling her weapon out of her mouth and scanning the area. The noises weren't as loud as the station, and from a quick few glances around some corners proved to her that the area was safe. As safe as it could be.

 

She let herself slide down the wall next to Minato, exhaling a breathe she didn't know she could hold. "I should've forced him to ride an earlier train." Minako huffed out.

 

A screech alarmed her, too close for comfort. Way too close. Hopping to her feet, she went alongside the wall closest to the street, leaning just out of the alleyway to see a giant monster. One bigger than she had ever seen before, one of the _ things _ . It seemed to be in.. pain?

 

Another monster, floating in the air, had attacked it. She’d never seen any of the monsters attack  _ each other _ , and none of them looked as, well not black, as it was. It was huge, reminding her of some sort of super-hero, including a silver gun on it's left arm. It's "armor" seemed to be apart of it, as blonde "hair" flowed down from where it's head would be. The monster screeched some more, launching itself at the floating one.

 

"Polydeuces!" She heard someone scream. Someone else was out there! Taking a glance back at Minato, she figured she could go help. For a bit. And then she had to go back to Minato.

 

Swinging her cleaver around in her hand, she shouted out a warcry before slashing the monster in the back.


	2. The Fool, The Star, and The Empress

Okay. It was huge.

 

Really, really big.

 

And it seemed to divide itself into more, arms and faces breaking apart as they all simultaneously turned to Minako. To say she was scared was an understatement.

 

She froze for a second, before taking off down the street. This was a horrible idea! Minako only took a couple of steps before tripping over a small can - litters are going to kill her!

 

Her body slammed into the concrete, making her wince. She had to get up, but she couldn't will her body to move. Only stare at the ground as the gurgling got closer. The screeching, the bubbling..

The static?

 

Something was pulling on her arm. It didn't feel like one of the monster's arms. It yanked her off the ground in such a rush, she dropped her cleaver. Above her was the floating monster from before, lighting coming out of it's gun-like hand. The thing that had grabbed her was actually a man. The stranger steadied her, holding his arm around her shoulder and with the other hand had a gun pointing to his head. He unnerved her to no extent.

 

She crouched, backing up under his arm. If monsters were in different forms, maybe he was a monster? But he seemed human.. was he like her? Just someone who could do special things?

 

"Hey, hold on-" The man turned, reaching a hand out to stop her. The monster slashed at him and at the more heroic, floating monster. Blood started to appear on the man's arm, where the floating monster was hit. He sneered in pain, shoving the gun into a holster and then running at her, grabbing her wrist and continuing to flee. The floating monster disappeared, but the one with arms continued to chase them.

 

Minako pushed hard, trying to keep up with the stranger's speed. It wasn't an issue for her, but the monster's speed was.

 

The stranger ducked into an alleyway, pushing her in front of him as the creature tried to fit in. "Keep running!" He shouted. It was enough to get her moving once more, jumping over trash and side-stepping coffins.

 

After awhile, the gurgling slowly started to become quieter and quieter, until it was merely just the sound of wind. Minako bent over, hands on her knees as she started to gulp in air, coughing a few times.

 

The stranger leaned against a wall, rolling up their sleeves to reveal a slash. He rolled down his sleeve, dyed red at this point. His breathing was shallow, unlike Minako's giant breathes.

 

"So." The stranger huffed out, "You're Minako Arisato, huh."

 

She turned around quickly, glaring at the man, "How did you know?"

 

He pushed himself off the wall, wincing from his arm. It made Minako wince as well. "Your uniform. Was supposed to have a new roommate." He took a second, "Don't you got a brother?"

 

Shit.

 

Minako didn't even answer, speeding back down the alleyway. Or she would have, had the man not grabbed her. Again. She tore her arm out of his grasp. "I have to go back. For him."

 

The stranger seemed confused, before getting the idea. "Where is he at?"

 

"Why should I tell you?" Minako yanked her arm out of his. She didn't even have to stay with this guy, he was obviously some sort of expert. His white hair reminded her of an old man, maybe he was just an athletic old man? A  _ creepy _ athletic old man.

 

Footsteps followed her when she started to move again. "I don't even know who you are." Minako was beginning to pick up her pace, worry seeping into her voice, "You could be some.. Some  _ freak _ for all I know!"

 

"Hey." The guy sneered, "I'm not a bad guy."

 

"How do I know that though?! You randomly know my name, you have a  _ gun _ !" She whirled around, pointing accusingly at him. "And what the HELL was all of that?! You stood in front of a monster like you had a DEATH WISH or something!" Minako rambled on. She didn't move from her position, staring at him with death in her eyes, "Just, don't follow me! I can handle myself! And I can protect my brother! Without a stranger's help!"

 

Minako finally waved him off, stomping down the alleyway. She couldn't hear anything besides her own breathing, not the man's protests, not the squishing of the blood, not the monster who attacked them.  _ The monster _ . Minako broke into a sprint, her motive back into her mind.

 

Jumping over cans, strifing past coffins, she couldn't help but smile. She could pretend she wasn't running in blood covered streets, but rather racing in a grand race. It eased her nerves, as much as they could with the predicament.

 

She realized how close they really were to Minato. It was only about a couple of streets over before she reached him. Still asleep. The same way she had left him. The monster's growling was closer, but Minako wasn't afraid. Adrenaline pulsed through her just enough to pick him up once more, but her legs wobbled and gave out from under her. She fell on her back, Minato still in her arms. Her vision blurred as the sound of screams infiltrated her mind.

  
  


Minako slowly started to come to. Her head pounded. She didn't feel like opening her eyes just yet, the warmth of the area taking her in. Despite trying to lull her back to sleep, it made her more alert.  Voices seemed to catch her attention. They were garbled like the monsters, but instead were people's voices.

 

"...leave." Minako caught the last part of a sentence. It took her a moment, but she realized it to be the man's voice from before. All instincts in her told her to wake up, that this stranger had her in his house. Well, no drifting back to sleep now. Super-Secret-Investigator-Mode, on!

 

"It's almost the end of the Dark Hour, anyway." A lady's voice this time, showing superiority despite Minako only hearing her once. She pictured some sort of female commander. But other than that, something about a Dark Hour? What?

 

"Doesn't mean I can't get a few more in." The man huffed, making her shudder.

 

"We have two unconscious students here, and you're injured. If what you said was true, you were going to need some assistance." The lady's heels clanked closer, heel hitting hard wood then shifting to carpet. Must be a fancy house. "You can stop faking sleep."

 

Shit times 2.

 

Minako slowly opened her eyes, realizing she was facing the back of a leather couch. Once again, extremely fancy, got it. She slowly rolled over, coming face to face with someone she could only describe as a red-headed prissy leader. Her arms were crossed and despite the hair over her right eye, was still staring at Minako with an intense glare. She shuttered under the stare.

 

"Arisato Minako, I presume?" The lady didn't move an inch, only to speak. It became apparent to Minako that the room they were in was huge, and dark. Candles on the coffee table and from somewhere behind her lit up the woman.

 

Minako just nodded, managing to break eye contact to look at the couch across from her own. Minato was laying there, stone-faced with a blanket over him. A towel was across his forehead. The lady seemed to notice this, "He's got a fever. You can blame  _ Sanada _ for that."

 

The man, who had been standing by the glass front doors, crossed his arms and huffed. He looked to the side, mumbling something that she couldn't hear.

 

The lady dropped her stern look, arms falling to her side. "I apologise, you seem nervous. I should introduce myself."

 

The woman turned to the man, "And as should you."

 

The man walked over, sitting in one of the chairs to the side, his back to the large windows. The lady looked down on Minako, but smiling as she did so.

 

"My name is Kirijo Mitsuru." The red haired lady, Kirijo, smiled fondly.

 

"Sanada Akihiko." Old-boxer-man, Sanada, huffed.

 

What a pleasant environment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bET YOU DIDN'T THINK I'D UPDATE, HM. i'm just kidding.
> 
> still have nothing to say other than this was considerably shorter than intended.
> 
> thank you for reading, though!


	3. The Fool Learns (That Power Is Made) Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear they look like paragraphs when I write them but then when I put them into Archive they're small sentences.
> 
> I had to split this up into 2 because I literally wrote all of this yesterday after scrapping the entire third chapter. I try to keep time-cuts to a minimal and then I realized how much I was cutting at the moment so I opt for multiple chapters.
> 
> This is part 1 of 3 parts! (may be more parts knowing me)

Minako sat up, the blanket falling to her side. "I would introduce myself, but it seems you already know who I am already." She rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, before looking at Kirijo straight in the eyes, "Where am I, anyway?"

 

"Iwatodai Dorm. Takeba put your belongings upstairs." Kirijo seemed prepared for questions. Minako was gonna take her chance then!

 

"Can you explain what  _ that _ was?" She pointed over to Sanada, making wild gestures with her other arm, "He had control of this shiny-monster-thing!"

 

" 'Shiny monster thing'? " Kirijo looked between the two. Sanada shrugged, "She doesn't know a thing. She even tried attacking a Shadow with only a knife."

 

Kirijo looked back at Minako with a surprised look on her face, "Is that true?"

 

"If you're referring to the monster, then yes. What was I supposed to do? Just leave someone who I thought was an old man behind?" Minako crossed her arms, smirking as she heard Sanada sputter.

 

"They're called Shadows." Kirijo continued, not paying half a mind to Sanada, "The 'Shiny Monster Thing' you mentioned was most likely Akihiko's Persona. We use Personas to fight the Shadows." Her explanation was short and simple, but Minako was left confused. She wasn't going to sat anything though, Kirijo looked like she'd kill her otherwise. "We'll explain more in the morning, but for now, that should be enough."

 

It was  _ surely _ enough.

 

"I'm sure you're tired, however. Come with me, and I'll lead you to your room. We'll deal with your brother later." Kirijo picked up one of the candles on the coffee table, Minako just now realizing how dark the entire room was. It seemed pretty big, but the candles lit around the room didn't give the size justice. She could make out what she assumed was the front door, as well as windows to her left, but nothing other than that. As well as the candles, sickly green light was coming in. Minako realized that Kirijo had walked a bit away, waiting on her.

 

She quickly stood up, taking a glance at her brother before catching up to Kirijo. She'd have to trust he was okay for now. The lady lead her to a set of stairs in the back, dim light coming from above. As they made it to the second floor, she saw less than she did on the first. A candle was sitting on the bannister, and she could see some more of the green light from a window. Plants gave off eerie shadows. Kirijo kept walking, however. "The men and women have different floors. The second is for men, while the third is for women. The fourth floor has a meeting room."

 

Minako gave a nod, although she knew Kirijo couldn't see her. They continued to the third floor, Kirijo leading Minako to one of the rooms. She pushed the door open, walking in and setting the candle on the edge of the sink. "You should go ahead and get some sleep. You having a close-encounter tonight does not mean you can't go to school in the morning. I will leave the candle in here for you to use." Kirijo turned around, taking a key from the edge of the sink and handing it to Minako. She caught it, almost dropping it, as Kirijo started to head out. "That's your key to your room. Don't lose it."

 

Minako was promptly left alone. She placed the key back on the sink, noticing how her luggage was sitting next to her bed. The room didn't have much, a pretty big bed, a sink, a stand with a TV, and a desk. There was a door to her left, she assumed was a bathroom. Minako took at glance outside, the moon staring down at her. It almost seemed full.

 

She pulled out her pyjamas, pushing the luggage over to the set of drawers. She figured she'd have some time to unpack later. Right now, she was just wanting to sleep. It was all she thought about.

 

She changed quickly, flopping onto the bed and letting darkness take over.

~ ~ ~

"Welcome to the Velvet Room."

 

Her vision came to, however the panic she felt before was all gone. The sounds of a rumbling train slowly lulled into her ears.

 

Igor, the long-nosed-man himself, was sitting across from her like last time. However, this time, a man was sitting next to him. He gave a small smile, shockingly yellow eyes and grey hair not the weirdest thing she'd seen. His clothing was a different matter, something similar to a blue bellhop outfit.

 

"This man next to me is Theodore." Igor gestured to the man, not bothering to take his eyes off of Minako, "He will be assisting you on your journey."

 

Theodore stood up, bowing at the waist. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

 

Minako would've at least waved, but it felt like her hands were tied to the seats. Theodore sat down, Igor beginning to speak once again.

 

"Now that we have more time, I can begin to tell you our roles here, as well as yours. To be short, we are here to assist you on your journey, wherever that may lead you. Whatever you request of us, we will provide." Igor gestured to Theodore, who held a blue book in his hand. Man must be obsessed with the color blue.

 

Theodore opened the book, a card seemingly appearing out of thin air. As if the pages divided into the card. It held the silhouette of a man with a stick and bag, a dog in front of him. Minako felt a bit of familiarity, looking at the card.

 

"There's a special power in you. The power of the Fool. The start of everything, but nothing on it's own. " Igor put his hands over one another on the table. His cryptic words confused her, "We refer to the Fool as the Wild Card. This special ability will have to be explained later, as you have not fully awaken to your ability naturally."

 

This man must've swallowed a dictionary. With his large mouth, it was likely possible.

 

"There is so much more to explain. I overestimated how much you would learn before coming here once more." Igor seemed.. defeated almost. His everlasting smile was still plastered on his face, as if it was just paint. "I will leave you be for now. We will be speaking again soon."

 

Like before, Minako's vision started to blot out. She didn't try to question anything, beg for answers, or even move. It felt like her bones were chains.

 

At least she didn't keep the feeling when sunlight hit her face in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to note that, in case the First/Last Name difference gets confusing- I'm not that well informed on suffixes to names. I do know, however, that it's more proper to use last names. First names are for familiar relationships. I just want to clear that up, in case anybody gets confused since I'm choosing to not add on the suffixes. (I mean, they don't do it for English releases due to cultural differences i'm assuming. i'mjusttryingtonotsoundlikeanasshole)
> 
> also can i say it's bloody difficult trying to look up tarot cards. especially when you're looking them up at school and all the websites are blocked.


	4. The Fool Learns (That School Sucks, And People Do To) Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually like this chapter? Maybe it's because it's just regular stuff and not confusion overload.
> 
> I'd like to point out that I have not played as the femc before. So this is going to be interesting.

Minako had already been up and ready for at least 10 minutes, rapidly knocking on her brother's dorm door. She heard footsteps come up next to her. Turning to the side, she noticed a girl she hadn't seen before. She had medium-cut reddish-brown hair with a pink sweater over a female school uniform. The girl seemed confused. "Uh. What are you doing?"

 

"I'm trying to see if Mit's awake yet!" Minako huffed. The girl seemed even more confused.

 

"He probably won't be up for awhile. Sanada filled me in on what happened." The girl smiled at her, arms holding her bag behind her back. "I'm Yukari Takeba. Yukari's fine though. We're in the same class, so no need for formality."

 

Yukari looked between Minako and the door. ".. Did you say 'Mit'?"

 

Minako nodded, rubbing the back of her neck as she gave a shy smile. "I called him that when we were little. Cooking accident. He wouldn't stop begging me to use mittens. So I called him Mit."

 

Yukari laughed into her hand. However she went back to a neutral state soon after, "We're going to be late for school. Oh, I came looking for you to lead you there. It's not really complicated to get there, but it's kind of far away." Minako looked back to Minato's door, having long stopped knocking. She then crouched down, taking out a random notebook and pencil from her bag and writing a note. Yukari leaned over Minako's shoulder as she wrote.

 

_ You wouldn't wake up this morning, and you almost had a fever. Don't worry, I'll tell the teachers! - Minako _

 

"There." Minako slid the paper under the door, putting her notebook and pencil back into her bag. She then stood up, dusting off her skirt. "You said it was far away, right? Well, then we gotta get going!"

 

Minako was already by the staircase before Yukari started to rush after her. "Hey! Hold on! You won't be able to get there without me!"

 

She wasn't paying attention, rushing down the stairs and out of the door. The sun felt good on her, all of her memories from the previous night gone away with the sunlight. It always was like that.

~ ~ ~

The train ride to the school wasn't bad or crowded. Infact, it was pleasant, seeing the coastline of Port Island go by as the sea seemed to glow under the sun. Something that would've come from some artist trying to depict the world as a better place. Yukari smirked beside her, before going back to messing on her phone.

 

The duo had gotten to school relatively early, Yukari mentioning to Minako to head to the teacher's office to meet her teacher for the year. And with that, Yukari headed into the school, leaving Minako to gawk at the absolute massive building in front of her. Like the sea, it shone like a diamond over all. Such a fancy place! And it was free, to Minako's understanding that is.

 

She stepped one foot into the school and already she was overwhelmed. It was so.. Fancy. Every building she'd been in had been so expensive looking. She looked around the main hall, noticing there was an entire store located here. The worker looked absolutely done with the day, making Minako smile.

 

She decided to head down the left corridor, the white walls reminding her of some hospital. Immediately she located the office. It wasn't as hard as she thought! There were a couple of teachers in there, but only one turned her way when she opened a door. She kind of looked like Yukari, the same haircut and wearing a light-pink uniform, however her hair was a lighter shade of brown. She seemed annoyed.

 

"Are you Arisato Minako?" The teacher held some papers in her hand, gently pushing them on the table to make them straight. Minako nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Where's your brother at? Arisato Minato?" The teacher put the papers into a folder, before getting another folder on the cluttered desk and skimming through the papers in there. The folder was pretty much empty, but Minako saw profiles of herself, her brother, Kirijo, Sanada, and Yukari. "He couldn't make it today. Traveling got to him and he ended up getting sick. I apologize on his behalf." Minako's apology seemed to make the teacher less tense. But she still seemed annoyed.

 

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Mrs. Isako Toriumi. Come with me, so we can get this done." She quickly wrote something on Minako's profile, putting the folder away. Mrs. Toriumi stood up, quickly heading to the door, fully expecting Minako to follow. She sped up to keep up with Toriumi's pace.

 

The bell rang as Toriumi reached the classroom, 2-F. She mumbled for Minako to wait outside as she went in, students filing into the room. Most looked at her for a few seconds as she leaned against the wall. She gave smiles their way.

 

Soon enough, Mrs. Toriumi called for her to enter the classroom. Minako came into the room, all eyes on her. She confidently walked up next to Toriumi, taking a piece of chalk and writing her name on the board before turning back to the class. She took a breath before speaking, "I am Arisato Minako. It's nice to meet you all!" She made her voice cheerful, earning some looks from some students, some already gossiping to each other about her. 

 

Toriumi smacked a hand on her desk, clearly not having a good time. The class went silent as Toriumi pointed to two empty desks, situated in the middle of the room. Minako noticed that Yukari sat directly in front of the seat Mrs. Toriumi was pointing at. "There's your seat. Your  _ late _ brother can take the one next to it."

 

Yukari raised her hand, "Um, the seat next to her is actually tak-" Toriumi cut her off with a stern look. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nobody in that seat  _ now _ . So it'll be his come tomorrow."

 

Toriumi then looked over to Minako, huffing out a "Well?" before she headed towards her seat. As Toriumi began to talk, Yukari turned around to Minako. "Sorry you got stuck with her, she's kind of… that in the mornings." Yukari gave her a soft smile, "But at least we share a class together."

 

"I hear talking! Be quiet and listen!" Toriumi pointed directly at the two with a harsh look in her eye.

 

Today was to be long and hard, that was for sure.

~ ~ ~

Minako prepared herself as she heard the lunch bell rang. Like a tidal wave, several (mostly male) students had approached her.

 

"Where'd you transfer from?"

 

"Interested in any clubs?"

 

"Didn't Mrs. Toriumi mention a brother?"

 

"What are you going to do for lunch?"

 

"What do you like to do? Want to hang out?"

 

Minako wasn't necessarily overwhelmed, it was natural curiosity. But the people surrounding her was concerning. It was like a wall of people, stopping her from leaving her seat. Yukari had already left, leaving Minako to her own devices. "Please calm down, I can't understand everybody."

 

Minako's pleas got the crowd of people to calm down, although they all watched with bated breath for her answers. She sighed, rubbing the back of her neck again. She needed to stop that. "I don't want to say where I'm from, I may join the Track team, I do have a twin brother-" She didn't even finish listing off whatever answers to questions she heard before the group of kids erupted.

 

"A  _ twin _ ?!"

 

"Does he look like you?"

 

"Bet he's as cute as you!" Minako's smile strained. There it was.

 

"Why isn't he here today?"

 

"If he's sick today, does that mean you shouldn't you be sick?"

 

"Can you guys mind-read?"

 

She couldn't stop the crowd from trying to give her questions, as well as talk among each other. The only thing she hated about herself was her ability to draw a crowd and bring the most social of people around her. The people started to truly overwhelm her, until one of the guys had  _ grabbed _ her. Minako flinched away from the touch, glaring at the student who did so. He held on her shoulder tightly, before pulling her out of the chair in one swift motion, gesturing to the crowd. "You're making her uncomfortable! Besides, lunch is almost over! Let the girl get some food." The man wrapped an arm around Minako's shoulders, effectively trapping her.

 

If she wasn't afraid of making enemies, he would've totally be on the ground. Totally.

 

She looked up at the student who was just dragging her around. He had his school uniform unbuttoned, showing off a blue shirt with the collar open. He also had a blue hat on his head, a bit of stubble on his chin. He used the advantage of his arm being around Minako to drag her out of the room, away from the gossiping crowd.

 

Minako tore the man's arm off of her shoulder, pointing an accusing finger at him once they reached the end of the hall. Not many people were around to witness her. "What was that?" Minako tried to keep her anger under control, since she tended to be 'emotional' about these, according to her brother anyway. 

 

The man put up his hands as if to shield him, "I was just tryn'a get you out of there, you seemed like you needed help." He then put his hands out, extending one of them in an offer for a handshake, "Um. My name's Iori Junpei." He gave Minako a awkward smile.

 

Minako crossed her arms for a moment, before sighing and shaking his hand. "That was still unnecessary though. I could've gotten out of that if I wanted to." She let go of his hand after a few seconds, looking around the hallway they were in. They were on the second floor, the fancy floors and walls continuing. There was a water fountain nearby as well as the staircase. Minako looked out of the window, the water calming her. Nature was really nice.

 

"Soo.." Iori was still standing there. "Do you need some help around the school? Got a lunch, or anything?" He swayed on one foot, "We got a pretty big school store if you didn't bring anything."

 

She realized that she, infact, didn't even make herself breakfast that morning. A stomach growl was enough of an explanation to Iori.

 

"Well, follow me! The store's got some good food!"

~ ~ ~

The two ended up sitting on the rooftop of the school, where nobody would think to go other than the occasional social outcast. The roof was surprisingly well-kempt, planted bushes around the area with stone benches, overlooking Port Island. Minako ended up buying Iori a sandwich, Iori confessing that he didn't have the money for any lunch that day.

 

He left his sandwich to the side of him, watching Minako eat her own. "It's good, right?"

 

Minako nodded as she continued to maul into the food. Iori awkwardly stared. She would've said anything had she not been hungry.

 

After a couple of minutes of silence (except for Minako's loud eating), Minako finished her sandwich and crumbled up the plastic wrapping that the sandwich was in. Iori leaned forward, holding his chin with both hands. He sighed boredly. "Thanks," Minako started to say, "For saving me from death by socialization."

 

That got a snicker out of him, "Didn't think you were the type."

 

"The type for what? Playing a game show host with a rowdy audience?" Iori sat back up, laughing. Minako smiled. And then stomped on his foot.

 

While Iori moved away, clutching his injured foot, Minako got up to go back to class. "That's for grabbing me unexpectedly. Still, thank you for that. Class is starting soon, so I'm gonna leave. Bye, Iori!"

 

Iori was left on the roof as Minako hummed away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry junpei but it had to be done
> 
> minako had to do it to 'em

**Author's Note:**

> I plan on updating this weekly (I already have some chapters saved up) but I don't know what day would be good for me, but I plan on it being relatively close to one another! I swear no monthly waits.


End file.
